Tali November 18th, 2005 06:30PM  
This song talks about how we are made in the image of God (as it says in the bible) and how we are more then what we are made out to be.

atomixpro January 16th, 2006 10:53AM  
Have might be wrong, but by the music video I'm pretty close

anonymous January 21st, 2006 03:07PM  
I know that the concept for the video was given to the band by Gerard from My Chemical Romance. They are all really good friends. Gerard got the concept fram a movie but I can't remeber what the movie is called. Anyways that is what the video is about.

wigbeirdo February 18th, 2006 05:51PM  
I believe that both of the aforementioned interpretations are somewhat accurrate. I would say that the song is more about spirituality than "Christianity" per se. Dustin Kensrue is extremely well read in philosophy, religion, etc, etc, so a lot of his songs have several layers of interpretation. I think when he says, "remove the cancer, take back our souls" he's probably referencing the corruption of the government as well as a corruption of spirit in contemporary western culture. The image of the invisible represents those who are still strong in spirit, as well as those who fight for change in this country. The voices of those who thirst for a better world have been silenced by the corruption of aristocrats, and he's saying that we can no longer accept this fate. We must rise above the corruption of this world and take back our souls.

anonymous February 20th, 2006 05:53PM  
Marshall lion

I think that this song is talking about the Bible. Maybe its just because I'm christian. But I'm sure others agree.
I think they are using a bad government as a metaphor for religion.

AlkalineDave February 23rd, 2006 11:28PM  
I thought the song was pretty straightforward. Videos should not be taken literally as an interpretation to a song. I do think that the video is allegorical but nothing more. The line ,"We are the image of the Invisible", makes it pretty clear where the song is headed. If you want to hear Dustin's take on the song, you should visit www.waterispoison.com and check out the most recent interview. That should help clear things up.

mrsoval March 5th, 2006 06:29PM  
Um... bit_up_nails just because someone doesn't agree with what you're personal opinion is dosn't make them...how did you put it? a fuckin' loser! or dumbass! or STUPID!!, it makes you stupid for calling yourself christian which in point of fact means "Christlike" and totally bashing someone for their oppinoin...not in love, in very blunt hate. And quite bluntly on my part it makes christians like you make so many people hate christianity for good reason. You represent Christ to people, and putting people down is not "Christlike" and does not prove anything. If you disagree with someone you can atleast be inteligent about it. It says in the bible to "Love your brother as yourself." So I guess you just insulted yourself and made you look like a fool, but what makes my heart break is you made God look like a jerk. So in saying that this is my opinion on the song, I may be wrong or right, but that is what makes it an "opinion"

Ok There seem to be a lot of scriptural referances here. But, I do think it is also somewhat political...if you go to http://www6.islandrecords.com/thrice/index.php# there is a link to this site called "the invisible children" which is an organization and a movie trying to raise awareness to the kids in Uganda because of the war. The "invisible" kids that are suffering behind the scenes. Is it conected to "the image of the invisible"? Maybe...I can relate better to the christian side of things though because I am one and I tend to float more that way...

the on the scriptural side of things:

--> In Colossians 1:15 it says that: "15He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation."(NIV) we are in the image of the invisible God.

-->Then the line that says "So we sing out this, our canticle" I looked it up in the dictionary and it means: "A song or chant, especially a nonmetrical hymn with words taken from a biblical text other than from the Book of Psalms."

--> The Chorus is very inspireing to me and very biblical, but it could also be interpreted to any person with a mission. "We all were lost and we are found" At first I thought it meant the way we where lost and then found by God but that is not what it says, it says "we are lost and we are found" not "we are lost then we were found" or something like that. It more implys being lost and found at the same time, kind of jekyl and hydeish which I can relate to, we may feel like we are lost sometimes, but we are always found by God. That is what it meant to me, but I think it might be a little off.

"We are the named and we are known" any rebel movement be it radical christians riseing up with God's heart for the nations or any other are named and known, that is what makes them radical and rebel's. "We know that we'll never walk alone" because God is in us and all around us, he never abandons us, he has always been there even when we where sinners.

--> for me when it says we are more than "static and dial tone" or "carbon and chemicals" it seems because we stand for something greater than this world because we are not of this world. Romans 12:2

--> "We're emblematic of the unknown" we represent the unknown spiritual world

To me it was battle cry to be radicle and "take back your souls" to defend the defenseless and save the inocent, we can't sit by any longer, we have to fight for what we beleive in...that is just my take

anonymous March 14th, 2006 03:22PM  
http://www4.islanddefjam.com/media/thrice/video/invisiblechildren.mov

this should explain a lot

jeremy77 April 20th, 2006 04:09PM  
I'm pretty sure the image of the invisible is a song about the fact that the band thrice is a representative for the invisible children in africa who get obducted by the oppresive government in uganda called the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA). This interpretation of the song is based on the fact that the band thrice does donate money to help these children w/ reintegration into civilized life. They are in essence describing the lives of these children and saying that human life is more valuable than one's (or an oppresive government such as the LRA) selfish endeavors.

anonymous April 24th, 2006 11:50AM  
As much since as all of these inturps make.... Some have said this song was inspired by the "Invisible Children" that are in Northern Uganda. The horrific story on how these children are living in fear of their lives is very inspiring... To learn more about the "Invisible Children" visit the website: www.invisiblechildren.com and help make a statement like Thrice. The youth of America is about to change the world, and you can help be a part of it! Check it out!

anonymous July 2nd, 2006 05:09PM  
Okay so here it is...
This song was written in a christian mindset. However it has been used heavily with invisiblechildren.com for obvious reasons.

The meaning behind the song title and corresponding lyrics is that we as humans are created in the image of God.
Verses Explained:
"more than carbon and chemicals"
God created us to be individuals

"free will is ours..."
we were given free will and even a Christians we don't have to give it up

"we can't allow this..."
"so we sing out this..."
we were created to worship

"we're more than static..."
we as christians aren't just spitting out all the same things in all the same way. the theology may be the same but the method, and content, of delivery can be quite different

"we're emblematic..."
we as christians are what the world sees of God

"so raise the banner..."
a call for christians to start acting like christians and to quit being such horrible witnesses

"remove the cancer..."
get rid of the sin that is ruining you lives

Chorus explained:
"we all were lost..."
think amazing grace...

"no one can stop us..."
with God on our side we cannot lose

"we are the named..."
again we Christians are still individuals

"we know that..."
even in our darkest times we know that God is with us

The Video has dual meanings:
1. The more obvious the the stunning likeness to the ugandan crisis. (see invisiblechildren.com for more)

2. The smoke covered city represents the sin infested world we live in. The children is a visual symbol of Jesus's words found in Matt. 19:13-15. The soldiers represent Satan/Demons/Sins that come and take away our child-like innocence. The freedom fighters represent the many christians that are out to save the world from sin. However many are marytered or, as in the case of many free countries, are prevented from sharing the gospel by the government. However in the end they succeed and the scene at the end represents heaven. Also if you pay attention they make a point to show a cross at the end of the video.

If you have any questions or comments you can get me at www.myspace.com/livexoutxloud

anonymous September 28th, 2006 09:45AM  
I agree completely man. Of course it's a biblical reference. To take it as governmental is to ignore the passion. Apart from the fact when I saw them live they said this song is about the one we serve. Ergo jesus.

anonymous November 14th, 2006 04:28PM  
All those people who called atomix an idiot are wrong, there are amateur interviews that prove him right. But, both sides are somewhat correct. Nothing is ever black and white, don't let your ideals get to your head. ;)

ABONURAGOLD November 16th, 2006 10:29PM  
oh its "our caticle" I thought it was "our chronical call" cool!

anonymous November 28th, 2006 01:46AM  
I'm not saying anyone is wrong, or I am right, but I want to point out some things. Obviously because Dustin is a Christian, he wrote the lyrics to this song knowing that they refer to passages in the Bible. I definitely think that it can be an awesome outreach for the Invisible Children, but at the same time, this song has a much deeper meaning. To me, this song is pretty straight forward, it speaks of the hope we have in Jesus Christ. That is the passion in this song.

This is going to be long, but I think this is pretty much what this song means.

"we're more than carbon and chemicals"- To put it plainly, kids are taught evolution in schools today, basically a life without purpose, this song is saying there is more than that.

"We are the image of the invisible"- We aren't just chemical compounds, we were created in the image of the invisible God.

"Free will is ours and we can't let go (we are the image of the invisible)" We were created in the image of God, and we have the freedom to choose what we want to choose.

"We can't allow this, the quiet cull,..."- These lines are calling us (Christians) to not sit back and watch all religious values be forgotten. The media, politicians, and many other things are calling for a "value-free, religion-free society. It is calling us to stand up for what we believe, and what the Bible teaches.

"So we sing out this our canticle..." -We sing this song to stop all that from happening. The message of this song is being put out for the world to hear.

"We all were lost, and we are found"- We all were lost in our sin, but we find new life in Christ. (It almost echoes lines from the hymn "amazing grace")

"No on can stop us or slow us down" -"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."-Phillipians 4:13

"We all are named and we are known, we know that we'll never walk alone."
Isaiah 43:1-3~ "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your savior."

"We're more than static, And dial tone.We are the image of the invisble. We're emblematic,Of the unknown. We are the image of the invisible." -Once again, God Created us in his image. And, we are His representatives, so we better represent Him well.

"So raise the banner, Bend back your bows.We are the image of the invisible.Remove the cancer, Take back your souls.We are the image of the invisible."
- Once again, this is calling us to not let society have it's way, it is calling us to be bold, to fight against the pressures that the world puts on us to give up our beliefs, and conform. It calls us remove the cancer(sin, as well as the lies and propoganda that the world tells us)and take back our souls.

"What should it profit a man if he would gain the whole world yet lose his soul." (Mark 8:36)

Thats it, I hope the message of this song comes off pretty clear. Feel free to check out my myspace page if you have any questions about Christianity, the meaning of this song, or the new life we have in Christ. -myspace.com/strengththroughweakness

anonymous December 7th, 2006 12:43PM  
Yes, it has a very Christian meaning, along with most of the rest of the album. However, it is supposed to be intertwined with politics as well (i.e. government=Satan). The entire Vheissu album is based on the novel V by Thomas Pynchon (read it, it's worth it!). Pynchon's V is one of the books that the graphic novel V for Vendetta is based on (as well as 1984 and various other books). The graphic novel was turned into a popular movie by the same name. So to say that it has no governmental meaning is just asinine.

Of_All_Things February 25th, 2007 04:34PM  
As much as this song has the facts of God's teaching hidden throughout it, it also has the other views of the government, and on top of those two, it also has the message of being who you are, don't look to anyone to help you decide who you are, don't look at people to see what they look like physically, but look into their souls, look into their hearts.

anonymous August 27th, 2007 12:03PM  
Like lots of thrice songs this has biblical reference all over it. We are the image of god and many people don't really know this but Dustin Kensrue ( lead vocals and guitarist for thrice) is a huge Christian and lots of songs that he wrote have massive amounts of biblical references.

anonymous September 4th, 2007 01:50AM  
If you look up an interview that Dustin has with a Punk group, he says that the band joined the Invisible Children movement after the record was made, because they supported the idea and it was coincidentally related to Vheissu's themes. So, Image of the Invisible is not about Northern Uganda's "Invisible Children." Also, a response regarding Greg Bennett's response, Like Moths to Flame is about Peter's betrayal of Jesus, not Judas. Jesus only told Peter that he would betray him three times. Some people seem to be narrowing the meaning because they watched the music video, but I believe it is about numerous themes (Free Will, The Value of Human Life, Our relationship in contrast to Jesus Christ, Oppression, Standing up for what you believe in).

anonymous October 20th, 2007 12:29PM  
I just thought I would like to give my thoughts,,,, I have actually listened to this song over 100 times strictly to understand the lyrics.... Although it may not be what the writer was aiming for.... I feel that this song has to do with both government and religion. If you think about it... for centuries Government and Religion have been linked.... Kings were given authority by their respective gods...... Even today... The US President is sworn in with his hand on a Bible..... And I do think that it has to do with BOTH an upheaval of the government, AND To convince christians to stand up for what is right..... for instance Nowadays it is illegal to lead a Prayer in school,,, and my little brother was actually suspended for wearing a large cross around his neck,,, because it "forces" religion on others,,,,, but later that week I saw a girl who goes to his school walk in the building with a shirt that she had made that had a penticle on it.... She was never stopped.... So it seems anymore that the christians are actually being harassed by our PUBLIC schools,,,,, and the Minorities are hiding behind our First Amendment rights,,,, this song is about getting up and fighting our government for the right to PUBLICLY worship our lord and savior Jesus Christ!!
I may be wrong,,,, like I said,,,, I am NOT the writer of the lyrics.... but that is how I feel